WHAT UP, EARTHLINGS.
I've decided to keep the poll open all throughout this story, which will give you pleeeenty of time if you want a pairing.
Footster26, there will be a confrontation between the watcher and the gang pretty soon, and I will try to make it interesting. ~
Opera House, MaJorReader619, and PINKhairedBADDAS, thank you so much for reviewing and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Your reviews make me happy.
Lucy H, I will be putting some romance, so you can look forward to some NaLu moments, but the pairings may change depending on the poll votes.
Only three words for you, wingedmercury— I love you. You're too nice.
And we start — now.
Chapter Five.
At seven PM, everyone met up at The Hairy Lemon, a merry little tavern where they all sat down and ordered dinner.
"Did anyone find any information?" Erza asked.
Lucy, Levy, Wendy, and Gray shook their heads moodily. Natsu and Happy were engaged in a chicken-eating competition and seemed to ignore the conversation, so Lucy assumed they also didn't find anything.
"All the people I asked avoided the question and said they didn't know anything, then ran off," Lucy jabbed her fish crossly.
"That, or they never really cared enough to think about what happened to the old man," Gray muttered.
"They said Ryuu-san was a dangerous lunatic and we should've stayed away from him," Wendy said.
"He was dangerous," Natsu offered, cheeks bulging with chicken.
"But I don't understand! I even went to the library but not once was the Staff or Ryuu mentioned in any of the books. There was absolutely nothing useful in this town's library!" Levy wailed, as the library had never failed her before.
"A few people I asked didn't even know who Ryuu was," Lucy said. "I mean, how weird is that? Hargeon's not that big, and the citizens would know if a crazy old man lived in their town."
Erza tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We can all agree, however, that the citizens never gave us straight answers . . ."
"It's as if they don't want to talk about Ryuu," Gray said.
"I think you may be right, Gray-san," Wendy agreed.
Lucy looked at the bartender carefully and stood up. "Well, let's prove that theory, shall we?"
"Lu-chan? Where are you going?" Levy asked.
"Wait and see, Levy-chan . . ."
Lucy made her way across the tavern and approached the bartender — a tall, ash-blond young man. "Excuse me," Lucy said, and leaned on the counter suggestively for good measure, "but my friends and I are mages from Fairy Tail on a mission, and we'd like to know if you can help by giving us information about Ryuu Uchida . . .?"
The bartender — whose nametag said Aiden — eyed Lucy up and down before replying. "Lady, I don't know any Ryuu Uchida, and I've never heard my father talk about him before."
Lucy was flabbergasted. She could almost see the words Epic Fail etched into her forehead, describing her pathetic attempt at seduction. "Are . . . are you sure?"
"You're hot and I'd take you any day, but I don't know any Ryuu Uchida." Aiden snorted and leaned closer to Lucy —
— and suddenly Natsu was right beside her, growling aggressively at the bartender, who backed off quickly and busied himself with the dishes.
Natsu pulled Lucy away and led her back to their table. From behind her, she could just hear Aiden say, "Should've told me you were taken . . ."
Blushing prettily and unable to contain her indignation at the same time, she yelled, "I'm not!"
By the time Lucy and Natsu sat down on their seats, they had silently agreed not to mention that little incident to the rest of their friends. Lucy shoved it away to the back of her mind and focused on her friends.
"How did it go, Lucy?" Erza was the first to ask.
"He said he didn't know any Ryuu Uchida," Lucy answered.
Suddenly Erza stiffened as a person slid into their table and sat on an empty seat. The newcomer — a girl, Lucy realized — had black hair and pale blue eyes.
"I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I couldn't help listening to your conversation with the bartender," she said. Her voice was soft and nervous and she was twiddling her thumbs as she spoke. "I know what happened to Ryuu and the Staff."
"How can we trust you?" Erza asks suspiciously.
"Um. Well, I don't suppose I have any proof that I can be trusted . . . you'll just have to risk it for my information, I think?" she said.
"I think we should listen to her, Erza-san," Wendy quipped. "She seems trustable."
The newcomer smiled at Wendy's support, then blinked in surprise as Natsu started sniffing her, which promptly earned him a bonk from Lucy.
"She doesn't smell bad," Natsu finally said, satisfied with his sniffing.
"I'm . . . not sure if I should feel insulted . . .?"
"The bad guys have this kind of smell," Natsu explained. "You don't smell like them, so I'm guessing you're not a bad guy."
"Ahh . . . I see . . ."
"So what's your name?" Levy chirped.
"I'm Keiko."
"Levy."
"Wendy."
"Lucy."
"Erza."
"Natsu."
"Gray."
"Happy!" trilled the cat. "Keiko-chan, do you have any fish?"
"You just had chicken, Happy, now leave the poor girl alone," Lucy scolded.
"Anyway, Kei-chan, the Staff . . .? Levy prodded.
"Oh. Right. Um . . . I assume you know what happened to Ryuu's daughter, Michelle? Her condition was known all throughout Hargeon. We were all very sorry for Ryuu and we tried to help, but there was nothing anyone could do. We also knew a mysterious stranger offered him a magical item — the Staff — that could supposedly cure Michelle, but we didn't know if he accepted or not. Hargeon is a small town, you see, so the news spread quickly.
"We got our answer one night. My friend and I felt an explosion of magic power, so we knew instantly that Ryuu accepted the offer and tried to use the Staff. We were on the outskirts of Hargeon at that time, and we came running back as soon as we felt it. On the way back, we sensed a person holding a powerful magical object. We figured the person was the same one who gave Ryuu the Staff and he or she stole it back or something — that was our first clue that something twisted was going on. I mean, offering the Staff to cure your dying daughter, just like that? It sounded too good to be true.
"Anyway, when we ran into the person — a woman, we found out — we sensed this evil aura she seemed to radiate, so we thought it'd be a good idea to hide. Fortunately, she didn't notice us. She was kind of talking to herself — we thought it was a sort of telepathy link to another person — and she mentioned that 'the experiment was a success', she had gotten back the Staff, and she was heading to Galuna Island."
"Galuna Island? Why?" Lucy interrupted.
"Galuna Island is the location of one of Grimoire Heart's former bases."
There were gasps around the table.
"Former? They're not using the base anymore, then?" Erza said.
"The base was abandoned a few years ago, but there is a possibility that our culprit met up with a Grimoire Heart member."
"You think Grimoire Heart may be involved?"
"It's very possible. Grimoire Heart is a very prominent and powerful dark guild." Keiko nodded.
"So she stole the Staff back and went to Galuna Island to give it to a Grimoire Heart member?" Levy said.
"I suppose that's our best shot, isn't it? Of course, since the incident happened three months ago, the Staff won't be at the base anymore — most likely, Grimoire Heart would have it — but you might be able to pick up some clues." Keiko said.
"YOSH! I don't know what the hell you all were talking about, but we're all going to Galuna Island right now!" Natsu roared.
Gray cast a thin layer of ice on his mouth to shut him up.
"Keiko-chan, I have a question though. Why did it feel like all the citizens didn't want to talk about Ryuu?" Levy asked.
"It was a side effect of Ryuu using the Staff. The burst of magical power played around with everyone's minds. As a result, they either forgot about what happened or didn't want to talk about it."
"But you remember it, Keiko-san," Wendy said.
Keiko twiddled her fingers. "I was born with a . . . strong mind. Stronger than most people. That's why the explosion didn't affect me, I think."
"That's also how you could sense the presence of the woman and her aura, right?" Lucy said.
"That's so cool, Keiko-chan!" Levy exclaimed, and Keiko smiled demurely.
"Keiko-san, you've been a great help to our mission. We are leaving tomorrow for Galuna Island, unless you wish to come along?" Erza said.
"Oh, I don't know, Erza-san. I'll think about it," Keiko answered uncertainly.
"Very well. We thank you for your time." Erza rose, and the rest followed suit. "Everyone, see if you can find rooms for us to spend the night here."
"Ano . . . everyone, before you go . . . there's something I need to tell you . . ."
"What?"
"When you first came inside The Hairy Lemon . . . I sensed a presence watching you all . . ."
"That's bound to happen soon," Gray remarked.
Erza's face was grim. "I see. Then a confrontation will result. We will be prepared. Keiko-san, we thank you once again."
This is such a boring filler chapter. Gahh I'm sorry.
Anyway, thanks for reading. You know you like that little NaLu hint I included. ;D
-- TheAliensDidIt